Finding Wigs and Head Covers

Women tell us that losing their hair from chemotherapy can be the most stressful aspect of their treatment. They offer some suggestions to make this experience a little easier:

Meet with the wig supplier/stylist while you still have a full head of hair so they can better understand your current hairstyle, color and approach to grooming.

Bring a friend who can be honest about what looks good and natural on you. Better to have them be blunt up front, than to wear something unflattering.

Some women find that shaving their head or getting a crewcut as the time approaches is more empowering and less traumatic than watching as clumps of hair fall out. Some women ask a girlfriend or partner to shave their head for them, to have the experience be more shared and intimate. Some families try to make an ‘event’ of shaving Mom’s head, so that the children feel a part of things, and can see the humor amidst the sadness.

Don’t let someone talk you into spending more than you are comfortable with or more than is necessary. You can buy a very attractive, easy to take care of, synthetic wig for around $200. There are some salons that will charge over $1,000 and insist you will ‘want’ a human hair wig that needs to be washed and styled frequently. This is not recommended.

Your doctor can write you a ‘prescription’ for a ‘cranial prosthesis’ that you can submit to your insurance after purchasing a wig. Most insurance companies do not cover wigs, or only give you a small amount towards the purchase.

You may want to knit your own “chemo cap”, or let friends know that they can knit hats for you. Click here for a website that has several patterns.

Hair Peace Wig Salon

The Hair Peace Wig Salon is a service offered by The Gathering Place that provides wigs free to those who experience hair loss due to cancer treatment. For more information, click here.

The HairPeace Wig Salon at The Gathering Place.

Salons Offering Wig Services

We have surveyed our participants and they have said the following salons were kind, helpful and had a good selection. This is not a complete list of all salons in our area, and is not in any way a judgment of salons not listed.

The resources and information given by our staff is NOT an endorsement of those individuals or practices. Staff members do not provide medical advice or assistance. We make every attempt to stock current, legitimate health-related materials. Opinions offered in writing or in lectures do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Gathering Place staff or Board of Trustees. We receive no fee for maintaining lists of resources and information. It is the responsibility of anyone utilizing this information to fully research the resources provided.